How to Get Your Child to Behave at a Restaurant

Follow these tips from Stacy DeBroff, author of The Mom Book, on how to get your kids to “sit down” in a sit-down restaurant.

Pick the right restaurant. Chain restaurants are great because they’re used to serving families and they’re trained to turn over tables fast, meaning you’ll get your order in and get fed in a hurry.

Get a booth. It provides the all-important buffer zone between your family and the rest of the restaurant.

Reward kids for good behavior. To get your kids to behave during the meal, tell them you’ll take them out for ice cream afterward. Don’t offer dessert at the restaurant—it just adds to the sitting time.

Bring a “restaurant kit.” This would be a bag filled with crayons and paper, small puzzles, Legos (depending on age of child), or a handheld electronic game.